Raspberry Pi launched

The Raspberry Pi has been launched. When we first heard of this board nearly a year ago, the idea of a $25 computer that displays 1080p video, runs Linux, and has enough ports to the outside world to do some very interesting stuff, we were cautiously optimistic. Now that the guys behind the Raspberry Pi are getting units out to the masses, we’re a little excited and also thinking about all the cool stuff we’re going to build.

The Raspberry Pi foundation is going with a licensed manufacturing setup with RS Components and Premier Farnell signing up to manufacture and distribute the boards. Right now it’s a strictly one-per-customer situation, but within a month or so you’ll be able to order as many as you would like.

Right now the foundation is focusing on the slightly more expensive ‘B’ model Raspberry Pi that includes Ethernet and USB over the $25 base unit. The ‘A’ model was originally slated to come with 128 MB of RAM, but due to some clever cost saving strategies, the team increased the base RAM to 256 MB.

Right now the only question we have is if an American distributor has signed on to sell this board; we’re sure something awesome will be built with this awesome little board. Commentors pointed out that Newarkwas selling Raspis for the US market, but they’re out of stock. The best advice may be to wait a few months for production to catch up to demand.

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They say this board is aimed at children, well with all the bitter complaints & whines being posted here and elsewhere about lack of stock and unable to order from the first batch if you’re not in the UK I’d say they were spot-on with their target audience!

Well they should have given the gerbers to a Chinese company. It would have shipped 8 months ago for the exact price point demanded plus $5 shipping, no tax no BS.

But noooo, the founder who has always been in sales glorified “real” engineers ever since Star Wars came out and wanted to learn how to use Altium Designer, put the thing together, manufacture it and run the project.

No one sees the problems there but then again the UK is a place where a phone call to cell number costs you $0.85 per minute and everyone takes that as normal?!?!?!?

They can’t, of course! What I meant was to give the gerbers to a licensed Chinese company and watch how things are done – lean and mean obliteration of any demand in sight. Then collect the foundation’s cut and who knows, may be hit the seven digit units sold around Christmas.

That will put PI on the map.

However now, we have pissed off customers, botched launch all in the name of nationalism – it has to be shipped from the UK, it has to use UK distributors (Farnell is a joke, please). Wake up people, this is year 2012. You want something done, you do it in China.

Give it a few months. Now that demand precedent has been set I’m sure we’ll see a knockoff for sale. Gerbers of popular boards don’t stay secure for long, there’s always a crooked employee willing to sell it to another company with no contract obligations for a quick buck.

This project has really worried me about humanity. SO many self centered people who are only worried about themselves, and neglecting the sole purpose of this project, and the amount of work that the amazing people at the Raspberry Pi foundation have put in.

I guess those who where holding their breath, can now resume breathing. Here in the US I really can’t see it bringing the stated objective into being. Changing/returning grade 7-12 computer science classes into/to “real” computer science. I could be grossly misreading the situation in the US, and underestimating US kids, when I generally optimistic about the kids. At $25 I might get one to play around with. At $55 one may be better off with putting that towards a netbook at Walmart. An vestment that can do what the Raspberry is setting out to do, and more.

I understand your complaint. However if these big guys have only just been brought on board it will take as long as the Foundation them selves to get new boards at least for the first new run. This is doubly so for any one wanting to make the unit at the right price. how fast can you afford?? At $25 then it’s not a lot of fast at all. Sorry but you’ll have to suck it up like the rest of us who have been waiting best part of a year for the beastie. Damn we’ve been waiting almost as long as Arduino have been piddling around with their ARM variant ;). Deep breaths everybody stay calm!!!

BTW it looks like another delay after the BIG Chinese Manufacturer just like the one’s who are supposed to be able these things for 5$ inc postage actually made a mistake in the board and put the wrong RJ45 connector with no integrated magnetics into it. See even the big boys make mistakes!

I can’t believe how negative and self centered some people can be. I am almost ashamed to admit I am American.
#1. It is clear that Eben and the RasPi team achieved their price targets. The initial “handling fees” were obviously the result of some questionable decisions make by the distributors in the heat of the moment and have all been recinded at this time.
#2. The REAL benefits of the RasPi are over the long term as more and more open source contributions are made and the available resources for the Pi mushroom. Once the collective resources available for the Pi reach “critical mass” and economies of scale allow supply to catch up with demand, I fully expect to see amazing things happen.
Personally, I would have loved to have gotten a Pi on opening day, but I am not mad–I fully expected this to happen. I remain fully behind the project and I think that anyone that turns on the project merely because THEY didn’t get one the first day is both short sighted and self centered. My hat is off the the BRITISH team behind the project–They are doing all of us a great service.

Well my RPi’s arrived and at least I can safely say they’ve made at least one of them ;). It’s a pity they weren’t able to sort every one out from the get go but I’m sure now the initial troubles are sorted the big corps can fund a good volume.